Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell have been indicted on murder charges in connection with the deaths of Vallow’s two children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow. Tylee, 17, and JJ, 7, were last seen on different days in September 2019; following the discovery of human remains on Daybell’s property in June 2020, a grand jury in Idaho on Tuesday indicted Vallow and Daybell on multiple felony charges.
According to court documents obtained by local outlet Idaho News 6, Daybell and Vallow are both charged with first-degree murder. Daybell, the children’s stepfather, was also indicted of first-degree murder in the death of his former wife, Tammy Daybell, who died in October 2019. Her body was later exhumed and a medical examiner ruled her death a homicide. Vallow and Daybell are also charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder against all three victims as well as grand theft by deception for the deaths of JJ and Tylee.
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“Local, state and federal law enforcement professionals and local and state prosecutors have worked tirelessly for nearly a year and a half to gather the facts and evidence necessary to bring forward charges on behalf of Tylee, JJ and Tammy,” Fremont County Prosecutor Lindsey Blake said in a statement, NBC News reports. “Due to the ongoing safety restrictions imposed by the courts during the pandemic, we just recently were given permission to present information to the Grand Jury for their review. They deliberated and determined there is probable cause to believe that the Daybells willfully and knowingly conspired to commit several crimes that led to the death of three innocent people.”
CNN reports that the new indictments do not provide details on how authorities believe Tammy and the two children were killed, though they do cite the couple’s “religious beliefs” as a factor. The indictment also provides evidence that Vallow and Daybell spoke in text messages of Tammy “being possessed by a spirit.” The indictment also states that Daybell changed the life insurance coverage on his former wife just a month before her death.
Prior to the Tuesday indictment, Vallow had previously been charged with misdemeanor resisting or obstructing officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime and contempt of court. She pleaded not guilty to those charges. Daybell, meanwhile, had previously been charged with and pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of conspiracy to commit destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence and two felony counts of destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence. Both Vallow and Daybell are scheduled to have their initial court appearance on the new charges on Wednesday, with Daybell’s appearance scheduled at 11 a.m. local time and Vallow at 11:30 a.m.
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